<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Standing on Ceremony by kuroashi</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26738089">Standing on Ceremony</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroashi/pseuds/kuroashi'>kuroashi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, Background shikatema, Canon Divergent, Domesticity, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gaara POV, He Just Doesn't Know It Yet, Just as a treat, M/M, Marriage, Neji Lives, Overstimulation, Riding, Rimming, Smut, Weddings, a little bit, background kankukiba, deep conversations about love and commitment, gaara is a groomzilla, implied kakagai, no dom/sub dynamics, of the disgusting tooth rotting kind, spoilers for Gaara Hiden, vers gaara, vers lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:29:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26738089</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroashi/pseuds/kuroashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The wedding of a Kage was usually an extravagant and highly publicised event. This, however, was not going to be the case for Gaara’s wedding. At least as long as he had a say in the matter – and given that he was both one of said Kages and the one who would be getting married, his say counted a lot more than whatever the Council had to say about it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gaara/Rock Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Standing on Ceremony</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic started with the thought, hey, what *would* it look like if they got married? And, nearly 15k words later, here we are. I hope you enjoy reading it more than I enjoyed editing this behemoth of a oneshot.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wedding of a Kage was usually an extravagant and highly publicised event, with large numbers of foreign dignitaries and other important people in attendance. They were met with huge celebrations by the people of the village, with the weeks leading up to the nuptials filled with parties and excited preparation. They were aimed at taking full advantage of the happy event in a culture otherwise markedly haunted by conflict and death.</p><p>This, however, was not going to be the case for Gaara’s wedding. At least as long as he had a say in the matter – and given that he was both one of said Kages and the one who would be getting married, his say counted a lot more than whatever the Council had to say about it.</p><p>He was more than prepared for the resistance, of course. Very little went through the Council members without somebody taking issue with something – that was rather the point of having a Council in the first place. At one point in the past, there had been talk of an arranged marriage – something Gaara had considered at the time, before he’d fully realised the implications, and the idea had eventually fizzled out with the help of an attempted coup d’etat.</p><p>It was a good thing it had, too… Gaara didn’t want to consider any scenario where he hadn’t fallen in love with Lee.</p><p>Gaara’s choice in life partner had been a surprise to many at the time their relationship had gone public, as well as incurring some resistance, which had been swiftly and rather menacingly dealt with. Things had been more or less ironed out in that regard, but it appeared that certain doubts had persisted among the Council members – perhaps slightly wishful ones – about the strength of their relationship. This was perplexing to Gaara, given that he and Lee had been together for several years by this point.</p><p>In the end, however, resistance to the match largely came down to Suna’s ingrained wariness of foreign shinobi – despite Lee’s good reputation in the village – and some petty repulsion from the elders at the fact that they were both male. Indeed, fighting for the change in the law to allow two people of the same sex to marry had been a complicated hurdle. The elders of the village didn’t see how it would be possible for such unions to work, and despite the overall ambivalence of Suna’s citizens towards the idea, it had been tricky to see the legislation through.</p><p>Now that this had been resolved, however, Gaara then had to set about planning the wedding according to his own desire to see things through as sensibly and with as little fuss as possible. There really were a lot of things to consider, which was rather strange—he hadn’t noticed how many customs were involved with weddings. To Gaara, binding two people together in a union that cemented their commitment and joined them together as a single legal entity really didn’t call for the level of commotion it incurred.</p><p>So far, he’d: picked a date, found a seamstress to make their robes, written a guest list that contained a skeleton group of dignitaries that he really wouldn’t get away with excluding, and thought about what kind of reception they would need to have and where.</p><p>There were also a number of other matters to be resolved, some of which were going to require Lee’s co-operation. Oh yes, Lee…</p><p>*</p><p>For a normal person, it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine Lee’s confusion when, while he was relaxing on the terrace wall, lifting a dumbbell and eating a rice cake in the morning sun, he was unexpectedly accosted by his boyfriend. Said boyfriend didn’t appreciate his bewilderment, however—not even when he had also brought a very small, elderly woman into their home for no apparent reason.</p><p>His confusion only grew when she took out a tape measure and held it up to his shoulders. To his side, Gaara looked on with his arms folded across his chest.</p><p>“Um… Gaara?” Lee mumbled.</p><p>Green eyes flicked up to meet his.</p><p>“What’s going on?” he asked, furrowing his brow and placing his dumbbell down on the wall carefully.</p><p>“She’s measuring you,” Gaara replied.</p><p>“I can see that. Why?”</p><p>“For your wedding robes.”</p><p>Lee blinked. “M—my <em>wedding</em> robes?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>A laugh tumbled out of him, the one that made Gaara’s heart skip a beat.</p><p>“But I’m not getting married...” he said, still grinning, his eyes wide and adorable and utterly stupefied.  </p><p>“Yes, we are,” Gaara replied, glancing up at him. “In May.”</p><p>Lee was silent for a beat. The grin plastered on his face was slowly beginning to look maniacal. “Huh?”</p><p>“I’ve already discussed it with the Council, and the date has been set for the tenth of May. It’s a quiet time in my calendar. I thought I would begin making arrangements as soon as possible,” Gaara explained, his expression entirely calm.</p><p>Lee stared at him. “Um—” he laughed, “Gaara… are you... are you trying to play a prank on me?”</p><p>Gaara stared back at him, not quite understanding what Lee was getting at, but disliking his tone. “You don’t want to?” he asked, sounding a little put-out.</p><p>The vulnerable expression on Gaara’s face quickly shuttered as he realised his oversight. It was replaced by his usual solemn veneer all too quickly. “…I’m sorry. I was presumptuous. I… I just thought that this was what came next. When you didn’t bring it up after Naruto got married, I thought you were waiting for me to arrange it.”</p><p>Lee’s smile fell and he took a step forward to comfort his boyfriend. “Are you serious? I mean—you really want this? With me?” he asked, still disbelieving.</p><p>“Yes,” Gaara replied, feeling a bit impatient.</p><p>Lee fell silent for a moment as the woman scribbled down some measurements on a notepad.</p><p>“I… don’t know what to say,” he breathed. When he looked at Gaara again, his eyes were a bit wet.</p><p>“Lee?” Gaara asked in concern, wondering if he had really upset his boyfriend so much.</p><p>The elderly woman moved out of the way just in time for Lee to step close enough to his boyfriend to grab him by the shoulders. The sand rustled in the small gourd Gaara kept strapped to his hip these days, but it didn’t do much else. Gaara’s profound trust in Lee seemed to have dulled its reaction somewhat. Nonetheless, Gaara suddenly felt himself lifted and he let out a gasp as he clung to Lee’s biceps.</p><p>“Lee, what are you—!”</p><p>Lee crushed him into a tight embrace, his face buried in his boyfriend’s neck as tears began to stream down his cheeks. “This- this is… the happiest moment of my life! Truly—this is…! The Springtime of-of our Youth!!” he all but wailed between sobs. Then, abruptly, he plonked Gaara back down on the ground with a determined look on his face. “I—I must tell Gai-sensei!”</p><p>“Lee, wait a second—” Gaara began, grabbing his fiancé by the back of his jumpsuit before he could rush off. “Emiko-san needs to take your measurements today if she’s going to finish your robes in time for the wedding.”</p><p>“Ah—sorry,” Lee breathed, his face pink and eyes dreamy. He didn’t stop looking at Gaara with this faraway, love-drunk look the whole time he was sized up. It somewhat reminded Gaara of how he looked when he was actually inebriated.</p><p>*</p><p>Over the course of the next few weeks, Lee became increasingly enthusiastic about the wedding. He didn’t do too much to help plan the practical side of things, as Gaara had figured out a rather detailed set of arrangements before he’d even told Lee it was happening. But he was certainly eager to help with other things. Like what kind of food they would serve at the reception, which Gaara had little interest in anyway, although Lee made sure that the menu included some of his favourite dishes too. Of course, it occurred to neither of them that their guests might be somewhat unenthusiastic about eating salted beef tongue and curry that was spicy enough to disintegrate their tonsils, but it was the Kazekage’s wedding, so they’d likely eat it out of obligation anyway.</p><p>About a week later, Gaara decided to break the news to his siblings about his impending nuptials. Lee had wanted to be there when he did, but he’d been sent off on a B-rank rather unexpectedly a few days prior and couldn’t make it. It was a Friday evening and Temari was in Suna on a diplomatic errand, so she was staying with Gaara while she was in the village. Kankuro was due to join them for dinner, but he ended up being late thanks to some fiasco in the communication tower that required his level to clearance to resolve.</p><p>When he eventually arrived, he looked tired and annoyed, to the point that Gaara almost felt a little bad about announcing the news of his engagement while his brother was still slurping noodles into his mouth. He almost choked on them. Gaara stood to pour him a glass of water while Temari slapped his back a few times.</p><p>“You—you’re <em>what</em>?!” Kankuro finally choked out, wiping at his eyes and smearing the face paint a little.</p><p>“Getting married,” Gaara repeated, not looking up from the sink as he poured the water. He turned to his siblings once more and placed the glass in front of his brother. “It’s been in the works for a little while now. Lee is very excited, and the Council has approved it,” he explained, sitting down again.</p><p>Kankuro swallowed several gulps of water and then placed the glass down in front of him with a little too much force.</p><p>The sand in Gaara’s gourd rustled, the only indication that the sound had startled him. It would’ve gone entirely unnoticed by those not accustomed to listening out for even its smallest movements. Temari shot her brother a look.</p><p>“Kankuro, did you really not see this coming? All that stuff last year, when Gaara announced that the marriage laws were changing?” Temari asked, sitting back in her seat and folding her arms disapprovingly.</p><p>Kankuro looked at her blankly.</p><p>“…Changing so that two people of the same sex could get married?” she elaborated.</p><p>“Oh,” he said, and pushed his hood back to scratch at the back of his head. “I didn’t really pay it that much attention, to be honest with you. Shit, it’s not like I’m planning on getting hitched any time soon, if ever,” he mumbled into his bowl.</p><p>Temari rolled her eyes. “You really should keep up with the politics of your own country more,” she sighed. “I don’t even live here anymore and I know more about them than you do.”</p><p>“Sis, if I kept up with politics, I would lose whatever is left of my sanity. All I need to know is who’s trying to kill us and who’s paying them,” he explained.</p><p>Temari rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her younger brother. “Anyway, Gaara, congratulations. I really am happy for you,” she said, smiling.</p><p>“Yeah, she’s happy that she’s not the only one of us with a ball and chain around her ankle now,” Kankuro said with a snicker.</p><p>Temari glared at him. “At least we’ve actually got people to come home to,” she snapped, her brow furrowed.</p><p>“Hey, I don’t need that distraction in my life, okay?”</p><p>“You’re such an ass sometimes, Kankuro,” Temari sighed.  “Your brother is getting married. You should be happy for him, not making all these bitter little wisecracks.”</p><p>Kankuro huffed. “Look, Gaara, don’t take my surprise the wrong way, alright? I <em>am </em>happy for you,” he said at length. “And I’m not concerned about who you’re marrying either, okay? Lee is… well, he’s <em>Lee</em>, but I like him, as weird as he is, and I trust him. The fact that he wants to join our shitshow of a family doesn’t say much about his sanity, but I’ve seen enough to know he can handle it… and I can see that what you have is real.”</p><p>It was silent for a moment. Gaara stared at him.</p><p>“This is my way of saying congrats, if you were wondering,” Kankuro finished, and picked up his chopsticks to poke at his food.</p><p>“Thank you,” Gaara said after a moment.</p><p>“Yeah, wow, Kankuro. You keep that up you’ll be giving a speech at the reception,” Temari said with a teasing smile.</p><p>“Fuck. No,” Kankuro replied, pointing his chopsticks at his sister to accentuate his point.</p><p>“That won’t be necessary,” Gaara said with a smile. “Though I will need your help with certain things,” he added.</p><p> “When is it, by the way?”</p><p>“May tenth,” Gaara replied.</p><p>“Holy cr—Gaara, that’s less than a month away!” Temari cried.</p><p>“I know. I’ve made sure your schedules are clear for that week—well, as clear as possible. I have a guest list to go through and a number of legal issues I’m going to need to your advice on, considering Lee’s status as a Leaf in Suna,” Gaara explained. “I need to know more details about how Konoha deals with foreign shinobi marrying their own. Lee doesn’t appear to be that familiar with the protocol.”</p><p>What Gaara didn’t mention was that he was also planning on using his sister as an emissary, and that she would be the one to break the news to the Hokage. She was going to be annoyed, he knew, but Gaara considered these things to be no more than occupational hazards, and by this point he knew his sister did as well.</p><p>*</p><p>Lee returned later that night. It was two a.m. and Gaara was sat at the desk in his home office, going over a surveillance report that was starting to give him a headache. He’d just rolled it up in irritation and tossed it onto the pile of folders beside him when he felt Lee’s chakra signature. It took him far too little time to reach the house from the outer walls. Gaara frowned. He made a mental note to ask him how fast he’d run home from the salt flats and if he needed to drag him to the clinic to get himself checked over for muscle damage.</p><p>The door into the living room from the front porch made a soft rolling noise as Lee entered quietly, though why he felt the need to be so quiet when he knew his partner routinely worked through the night was baffling. Gaara stood up from his desk and switched off his lamp, then walked down the hall to the kitchen. He began filling up the kettle silently, and didn’t acknowledge Lee’s presence when he heard him enter from the other room.</p><p>He turned to face his partner once he’d placed the kettle down on the hob. Lee’s face was weary but he greeted him with a smile, his eyes softening at the sight of Gaara standing in their kitchen, dressed only in one of Lee’s old t-shirts, his underwear and a pair of slippers. As difficult as it was to read other people’s emotions at times–even Lee’s—Gaara was more than familiar with that look.</p><p>That look was reserved exclusively for him.</p><p>Indeed, he was now even more familiar with that look than he’d been with the deep chasm of loneliness and despair he’d once seen reflected in the eyes of Sasuke and Naruto.</p><p>The look Lee was giving him now was the complete opposite of that, and it made Gaara’s heart feel like a bird was flapping its wings against his rib cage. He smiled slowly, without realising, as Lee approached him.</p><p>“Hey,” Lee said softly, and wrapped his arms around him.</p><p>Gaara sighed, melting into the embrace, his hands coming to rest on Lee’s shoulder blades. When he pressed his cheek to Lee’s chest, he realised that he’d missed his fiancé’s hugs. Gaara hadn’t had a hug from anyone else – apart from a drunken one from Naruto on a mission a few years ago – but he truly believed that Lee was better at hugging than anyone else. He knew it like some deep primal instinct.</p><p>“I missed you,” Gaara replied softly.</p><p>“I know.” Lee was rubbing his back and inhaling the smell of his hair. “I missed you too.”</p><p>“How did it go?”</p><p>“Fine. Boring, actually. There will be a report on your desk sometime in the next couple of days, but it’s nothing urgent,” he replied.</p><p>Gaara didn’t respond, but allowed Lee to hold him for several minutes before the kettle began to whistle beside them. They broke apart reluctantly as Gaara made a pot of tea. He placed it on the table and then walked over to the sink.</p><p>“Do you want dinner? I made beef udon earlier, there’s some left,” he asked. He began running the hot water to clear away the dishes from earlier.</p><p>“Why did you ask me to marry you?” Lee asked suddenly.</p><p>Gaara glanced over his shoulder at his lover with his brow furrowed. “It seemed like the next logical step,” he replied, nonplussed. “Didn’t you think it would happen?”</p><p>“I did, but to be honest with you, I always imagined that I would be the one doing the asking.” Lee rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back in his chair.</p><p>Gaara switched off the tap and turned to face him, leaning against the counter. “I surprised you?” he asked.</p><p>“Just a little, yeah,” Lee chuckled.</p><p>“But why? Temari has been married just under a year now, and Naruto has been married for even longer,” Gaara replied. “I know that several more of your friends have done so in recent years, too. Only last week that Akimichi announced his engagement, according to Temari. She said that Shikamaru keeps complaining about having to give a speech; he’s the best man.”</p><p>“Oh, really? That’s wonderful news! I ought to write to him to—”</p><p>“Lee, you didn’t answer my question,” Gaara said firmly, trying to stop his partner from going off on a tangent.</p><p>“Oh. Well… I guess…” he began, and shifted a bit uncomfortably. “I was just thinking a lot, these last few days… about why you asked. I guess I just… wanted to know if you asked me because you think you’re supposed to, or if you actually want to,” he explained finally.</p><p>Gaara considered him for a long moment. Honestly, he had mainly been thinking about the official side of things. They lived together, true, and Gaara was rather blunt about their romantic attachment to each other. But he didn’t want to hide his relationship with Lee from <em>anyone</em>.</p><p>…And he <em>certainly</em> didn’t want anyone else to dismiss their love like that noble at the Daimyo’s court had that time. The sand in his gourd had made the most menacing sound it had made outside the battlefield in years. Worse still, it had satisfied something old and dark inside him to see the look of terror on the man’s face as the cork rolled ominously across the heavily carpeted room. Luckily Temari had been there to iron things out a bit, but nonetheless, the attitude of dismissal toward Lee had ignited an old rage in him.</p><p>
  <em>‘When the one you admire is insulted, you become infuriated...’</em>
</p><p>Then, later, there were those old ruminations that took hold of him again. Was everyone thinking the same thing? Were they all still expecting him to fail? Why? Did they all still see him as the failed weapon, a relic from the past? Did they still think him incapable of love, despite everything he had done? Those questions had continued to pull on his psyche for months, in a way they hadn’t for years.</p><p>Then Naruto got married, and he realised that people were taking his relationship more seriously. It was clear that the two of them were one soul now, joined. He knew he wanted that for him and Lee.</p><p>“I suppose…” he began, but realised he was unable to finish his sentence in a way that made sense. ‘Because I want people to take our relationship more seriously’ sounded like a bad way to put it. “I’m not really sure,” he said honestly.</p><p>Lee blinked and then looked down into his teacup. “I see,” he said. Lee wasn’t usually prone to worry, but Gaara could see that this had been on his mind. His lover was insecure deep down, despite his crushing optimism and fierce determination. He had to fight so hard for every single good thing… like Gaara. He felt fiercely protective of him all of a sudden.</p><p>Gaara stared at him, and worried his lip between his teeth a little.</p><p>“Can I ask you something?” Gaara asked after a long moment of silence.</p><p>Lee looked up at him, his eyes weary, but not especially hurt.</p><p>“Why did you agree?” he asked.</p><p>Lee furrowed his brow. “Because I love you, and to marry you would be the greatest honour,” he said sternly. “I want to dedicate myself to you completely…”</p><p>“Are you not already?” Gaara asked. “You already say that you are committed to me, that I’m your true love, you would do anything for me, and so on. You say it multiple times a day, sometimes. You made quite a grand speech on Monday when you were doing the dishes.”</p><p>“Well, yes, but—”</p><p>“Then why? If the only reason to marry is to bind us together legally and profess our love and commitment to each other—and we’ve already done the latter—is there any reason to get married after all?” he asked. “I can say that legally, there are very few benefits to getting married that we don’t already have, and I can easily remedy them if they do become an issue.”</p><p>“I—” Lee began, and then sighed. He was quiet for a beat as he wrapped his hands around his mug of tea and looked up at the ceiling. He scanned the carved stone as if it had the answers, or a way of wording them that would make sense to his fiancé.  “I guess I just… want to show you how much I love you, in a way that… in a way that other people can see. And I want…” he trailed off. “You’re already… my everything,” he said with a light blush on his cheeks. “But more than anything, I want to make you my family, for it to be legal and official.”</p><p>Gaara folded his arms and glanced out of the window thoughtfully. “You don’t want there to be anything anyone can say or do to undermine the legitimacy of our relationship, because the thought that our love—such a huge part of us now—could be thought of as insignificant is almost physically painful,” he explained, much more eloquently than Lee could’ve himself.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Our marriage… it means that no one can do that… They can’t undermine its value and place in our lives, and leave us open to—interference. If we’re already married, no one can force us apart.”</p><p>There was a brief, thoughtful silence.</p><p>“I think—I know your job puts you in precarious situations sometimes, Gaara, but the Council hasn’t tried to arrange a marriage for you since the last time… and look how that turned out anyway. I’m not… I’m not worried that anyone is going to force us apart. I wouldn’t let them anyway,” Lee said firmly, looking Gaara in the eye with his trademark determination.</p><p>Gaara met his gaze with the softness he only allowed his closest people to see. “It’s not just that. I’m not… I don’t know how to express myself well, when it comes to this,” Gaara explained, shifting a little. “I just know that… you’re family. My family. I need you in my life. I always will. It just—it doesn’t feel—”</p><p>Lee stood up from the table and walked over to him where he was leaning against the sink. He placed his hands on his shoulders and leaned his forehead against his.</p><p>“You want to tell me that you love me, while binding us together as family, in a way that makes sense to other people—and me,” Lee finished softly, and let his hands slide down his arms a little.</p><p>Gaara’s eyes were half-lidded as he looked at Lee. “Yes,” he whispered.</p><p>“You want them to understand this, like I understand,” Lee added.</p><p>“Yes,” Gaara repeated. “I’m tired of—of feeling like I speak a different language. I need to… I need to make them see it, if they’re going to accept it. I need them to accept it, I mean <em>really</em> accept it, not just pay lip service to it, or treat it like this is just another one of my eccentricities. I need them to know that I won’t let anyone take you away from me. Not ever.”</p><p>Lee responded with a slow nod and a kiss to his forehead. “I know,” he whispered.</p><p>Gaara blinked slowly while Lee pulled him close and embraced him. “You understand?”</p><p>“As much as I need to,” Lee whispered, stroking his back and scratching his scalp soothingly.</p><p>Even if Lee couldn’t understand <em>all</em> the logic in Gaara’s decisions, he knew him well enough to respect that it made sense to him. That this was enough for Lee would never stop feeling miraculous. Lee trusted Gaara, so he trusted his motivations for doing this – but Gaara had wanted to make it clear, so he could put his own demons to rest, too.<br/>
<br/>
Now, though, all he wanted was to go to bed with his husband-to-be.</p><p>*</p><p>Gaara was in a good mood for the rest of the week (helped along somewhat by Lee’s enthusiastic morning attentions), so much so that even the stoic Councillor Isamu appeared buoyed by it. Of course, however, this was only evident in his slightly less curt than usual manner of speaking to the Council.</p><p>The wedding had been announced yesterday, and the excitement in the village was palpable already. Gaara avoided the main streets in Suna on his way to work that morning to escape being congratulated too many more times than he already had been. There had been a small crowd of what appeared to be mostly young women outside the main entrance to his estate, which Gaara managed to avoid. However, he’d still been accosted a number of times by various villagers on his way to the legislative building. In the bazaar, there was even a man selling ginger biscuits on sticks in the shape of him and Lee.</p><p>Today’s agenda included the guest list of the Kazekage’s wedding, which given the shortness of it had incurred some rumblings of discontent. It took some hours to iron out the final guest list, and in the end Gaara wound up with more people than he really wanted being added to the list. But it was only a few, and at this point he was finding it hard to care who watched him get married as long as he was marrying Lee. In some ways, he even <em>wanted</em> more people to come, just to send the message out loud and clear.</p><p>But it was more important that things were intimate and not too official or bureaucratic. Gaara wanted the event to be about their love, above all, and there was just no way of doing that when more than half your guests only knew you as the Kazekage, let alone who you were marrying.</p><p>He made his way out to the greenhouses in the afternoon. He had work to do, as he always did, but he had been right about the fact that this time of the year was quiet for him. None of it was especially urgent, so he decided to take lunch in the orangery.</p><p>It had been a long time since he’d been here, as he usually spent time in the nurseries, on the opposite side of the complex that made up Suna’s greenhouses. So it was a pleasant surprise, even to him, to be greeted with rows upon rows of blossoming fruit trees. The smell was powerful, but the freshness provided by the open windows was able to offset its strength significantly.</p><p>‘Orangery’ was rather a loose term, however, as a number of other plants were tended to here. It was used as a kind of park by Suna’s citizens in the absence of outdoor green space, as the plant beds and rows of trees opened up into a large quad in the middle. The floor was decorated with an elaborate mosaic featuring scenes from Suna’s history, and there were seating areas here and there.</p><p>Glancing up, Gaara smiled a bit as he admired the grand ironwork and glass panes that formed the huge ceiling of the greenhouse. Trailing his hand over the blossoms of a flowering yucca, he made his way over to the spiralling staircase that led up to the viewing balcony to get a better look.</p><p>Once there, it was obvious that this place would be perfect for their reception. Gaara didn’t know if it had ever hosted such an event before, but he supposed that this was where being the Kazekage had its advantages. Commandeering one of the main greenhouses in Suna for his wedding reception would not be the worst thing Gaara had ever done to abuse his power, and he was still a long way off his father’s record in that regard.</p><p>It took only a brief conversation with the manager of the greenhouse to okay his plans, but Gaara wanted to tell Lee about it before they confirmed it. He wanted Lee to be as involved as possible.</p><p>It was really rather… exciting.</p><p>This was a new feeling for Gaara. He’d mostly been thinking of the official side of things, as he’d explained last night, but wanting Lee’s input felt… personal. It suddenly made the whole thing seem a lot less about bureaucracy and a lot more like… like a wedding.</p><p>Gaara felt something in his chest bloom like one of the blossoms in the greenhouse. He was getting married. It was like he just realised that this was it – he was really getting married to Lee. He was going to spend the rest of his life <em>with Lee.</em> His existence was already justified by his position as leader and protector of the village, but being with Lee… it made him feel alive. Now, everyone else would surely understand this, too.</p><p>He spent the rest of his day in a dreamy halcyon bubble, filling out forms and reading over reports on autopilot, until he could finally return home to his fiancé to tell him about the greenhouse.</p><p>The greenhouses closed to the public at nine p.m., but Gaara was able to get a janitor to allow them in. There was still a small amount of sunlight, and it was illuminating the greenhouse in an amber glow that only highlighted the beauty of it.</p><p>“What do you think?” Gaara asked, standing with his arms folded as he glanced at Lee sidelong, trying to gauge his reaction.</p><p>Lee’s smile only grew when he looked back at his fiancé. “I think it’s perfect,” he replied, walking over to Gaara with a wistful look on his face. “The smell is incredible.”</p><p>“I was worried it might be a bit too strong, but…”</p><p>Le waved him off. “It’s wonderful. All of it is. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before!”</p><p>“I don’t think there’s ever been a wedding reception held here before, but the manager told me it won’t be too difficult to arrange.”</p><p>Grinning, Lee walked away from the peach blossom he’d been smelling and over to him. He slipped their hands together and nuzzled his nose against Gaara’s, the smile never leaving his face. “I can’t wait to marry you,” he whispered into the small space between their lips.</p><p>Eyes fluttering closed, Gaara gave a small smile in return. “Yes, I—” he began, wanting to verbalise some of the excitement that had crept up on him earlier. “I thought it would be…”</p><p>Lee grinned and tilted his head to the side as if he’d just discovered an alien artefact. “Romantic?”</p><p>Gaara looked at him blankly. “I’ve never really understood what that means. But I thought it would be a… pleasant place to celebrate our marriage in.”</p><p>Still grinning, Lee brought his hand up to stroke some hair behind his fiancé’s ear. “It’s beautiful. Our wedding will be beautiful,” he whispered, and then leaned down to kiss him.</p><p>Gaara half closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. Lee’s kisses had this funny way of making him feel like someone had just pulled a stopper out of him and released all the tension he’d been holding in his body. He sighed and melted into it, his arms coming up to wrap themselves around his fiancé, absorbing the hum of pleasure he released and deepening the kiss.</p><p>They only had an hour at most, but the ensuing sex that was had on the greenhouse floor was exquisite even by their standards. They had just finished getting dressed when the janitor turned up again, and Lee had difficulty meeting his eyes as they said goodnight.</p><p>Grasping his lover’s hand, Gaara began to lead them back. He took a wicked pleasure in the blush on Lee’s face, which still hadn’t faded even by the time they made it home.</p><p>*</p><p>The day of the wedding crept up on him, as Gaara thought it might. Although it was not a busy time of year, he was still the Kazekage, which meant he still worked hours that would warrant a lawsuit if he were in any other position. In addition to this, there had been significantly more work than Gaara had anticipated when it came to the finer points of their wedding. Apparently the devil was in the details; Gaara didn’t intend to ever get married again, but he would hold wedding planners in higher esteem once their day was over.</p><p>Nonetheless, the stream of congratulations from foreign dignitaries, their friends back in Konoha and elsewhere slowly dwindled, and before anyone knew it, the day was upon them.</p><p>Gai, Naruto, Temari, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Sakura, and the rest of Lee’s friends from Konoha had arrived with Kakashi a few days ago. Lee’s reunions with his teacher were always a spectacle that attracted a lot of attention from passers-by, but given the importance and distinctly non-professional nature of this visit, their reunion had been tremendously loud and dramatic even by their standards.</p><p>Twin wailing voices of “Gai-sensei!” and “Lee-kun!” could probably be heard for miles as the two men embraced tearfully at the village’s entrance.</p><p>Gaara had briefly even considered calling in some backup to pry student and teacher apart, but the shaking heads of Tenten and Neji were all he needed to know that it was something he’d just have to let pass.</p><p>Bringing the teacup to his lips, Gaara watched the sun rise lazily over Suna’s round rooftops. He felt himself shiver a bit as the sun warmed his flesh, and he closed his eyes, simply basking in the moment.</p><p>It wasn’t in his nature to be quite so profound—his nature was intensely sober—but he couldn’t help but feel something in his life shifting significantly. It was true what he’d said to Lee; getting married made no difference to his level of commitment, but he felt it was time for the rest of the world to know that, too.</p><p>He finished his tea and then returned to the bedroom, where Lee was still sleeping soundly. Gaara climbed into bed with him to watch him sleep and wake up slowly; it would be the last moment of peace he would get before everything descended into bedlam.</p><p>*</p><p>A few hours later, things were, as expected, chaotic. Temari was having a minor meltdown in the guest bathroom over her make-up while Tenten fussed over the floral corsage Sakura had given her. Shikamaru was sitting on the couch and smoking, still half-asleep, and Kankuro was fiddling with the haori himo on the front of his kimono. Gai was outside in the courtyard doing stress push-ups, and Neji was fanning himself with a wedding programme on the couch opposite Shikamaru. Everybody else was probably either en route to the shrine, or already there.</p><p>Gaara turned in front of the mirror a few times, examining his scarlet and white robe, complete with silver accents. His kimono was brand new, made to measure and extremely well made, and even Gaara had to admit that he looked good. He ran his fingers through his hair – last night, Temari had loaned him some flowery-smelling hair products and told him that he would thank her later. His hair was not quite as dusty and dry as it usually was, and the red spikes felt silky. It definitely made a difference in terms of texture, but it was kind of falling into his eyes more, which was—</p><p>“Wow…”</p><p>Slightly startled, Gaara turned around. In the bathroom doorway, Lee was standing with a towel around his waist, his hair freshly washed and blow-dried. His body was still slightly damp and it accentuated his rippling muscles. At the sight, Gaara felt a stirring in his robes and a heat crawling up his neck, but he reminded himself firmly that now was not the time. Besides, it’d taken him nearly twenty minutes to dress himself properly.</p><p>“Aren’t you dressed yet? We have to be at the shrine in just under an hour, and these things are a nightmare to get on,” he said, turning back to the mirror and apparently not registering the look of wonder on Lee’s face.</p><p>“Gaara, you look…” Lee began, and took a few steps forward.</p><p>Gaara glanced over his shoulder and raised a hairless eyebrow at his fiancé.</p><p>Lee came to a stop just in front of him, and looked at their reflection in the mirror. He rubbed his large hands up and down Gaara’s arms gently before his fingers came to a stop at his hands, his fingertips brushing a delicate wrist bone the colour of rice paper. He grinned at their reflection and leaned forward to whisper in Gaara’s ear.</p><p>“You look so handsome,” he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of Gaara’s ear.</p><p>He shivered and sighed as Lee’s hands slipped into his own. “Hn.”</p><p>“You ready to do this?” Lee asked, smiling warmly.</p><p>“Yes,” Gaara breathed, holding his gaze in the mirror. Then he turned his head and pressed their lips together, his eyes falling shut while Lee held him from behind.</p><p>*</p><p>Weddings in Suna were a particularly solemn affair, at least for the ceremony anyway. The priest at the shrine chanted a lot, said a number of prayers, and personal vows were not necessarily encouraged. However, given Gaara’s status as Kazekage, it was accepted that he would pretty much have it his way regardless of the protocol, so they were writing their own vows per Lee’s request.</p><p>Gaara didn’t listen much to the priest’s chanting – he was by no means religious, and he was rather transfixed by the way the deep green and white kimono looked against Lee’s sun-kissed skin anyway. He looked especially striking in the warm, lantern-lit interior of the temple. He looked rather nervous too, though, as he usually was whenever he had to do anything official. His Lee was not one for any kind of stiff and uncomfortable formality, even if he did look very handsome in his formal kimono.</p><p>After several minutes of prayer, chanting, exchanging of sake and other rituals, it was time for their vows. The priest gestured to Gaara, and settled back on his haunches to wait.</p><p>Gaara turned his gaze away from Lee’s briefly and reached into the sleeve of his kimono. He drew out a small, folded piece of paper, but he didn’t really need it. He’d memorised exactly what he wanted to say, as it came directly from his heart.</p><p>“Lee,” he began, gazing deeply into his fiancé’s warm, dark eyes. “From the day I met you, nothing has been the same for me. I was in a dark, lonely place before our first meeting, and even afterward, I still struggled to understand the bonds you had with others around you. But since then, I have become stronger thanks to the very same bonds I forged in the wake of that first encounter. No other bond I have forged has been more important to me, or more profound, than the one I have with you.</p><p>I cannot put into words how much I love you.”</p><p>Lee did not break the gaze Gaara was still holding, but his eyes began to water and he chewed his lip as he listened.</p><p>Heart thudding powerfully in his chest, Gaara continued. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me… No one else has taught me as much about love as you have. I can feel your influence right down to my soul,” Gaara paused, and swallowed thickly. “I promise to always hold our love in the centre of my being. I promise to always support you, and keep you safe, no matter what that entails. I promise to stay by your side, no matter how hard things get. I will not abandon you, ever. I will always be yours, and only yours, from this day forward, until the day I die. I give myself to you completely.”</p><p>By the time he was finished, tears were falling down Lee’s face. Gaara still held his gaze though, intent on conveying the seriousness of his words with his eyes.</p><p>Behind Lee, Gai was silently crying waterfalls of tears and fisting the fabric of his kimono hard enough for the stitching to crack. It was a matching shade of green to Lee’s own robes, but lacked the white accents. Gaara glanced up at him briefly, and only looked away again when he heard a sniff from behind him. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that Temari was indeed wiping a tear from her eye, trying to avoid smearing her pristine make up in the process. Kankuro was smirking beside her, but his eyes were soft.</p><p>Gaara frowned. He hadn’t thought the vows were all that good when he wrote them. Every single word he wrote seemed to fall short when it came to describing how he felt about Lee. Still, it was reassuring to know that they had the intended effect anyway.</p><p>“Lee-san?” the priest said gently, once everyone had apparently gathered themselves.</p><p>Lee nodded, reached into his obi and pulled out a piece of paper. He coughed once, and then began to speak, his cheeks a bit pink.</p><p>“Gaara-kun. I never thought that I would be this lucky. I have never been a lucky person – in fact, throughout my life, I seem to have been the most unlucky person in a lot of respects. I have only overcome it with effort, determination… and sometimes, a lot of sacrifice,” Lee began, and then paused. “Truthfully, I have wondered sometimes if the sacrifices I’ve made have been worth it… But I have never once thought that about you.”</p><p>Gaara watched his partner carefully. As he finished, Lee raised his eyes from the piece of paper he was reading from, and stared deeply into his.</p><p>“The truth is… Even if I could go back to our first meeting, to that day at the Chuunin Exams and everything that followed… I would do it all again, if it meant being the one who you came to rely on. I would take all the pain and fear and longing and I would swallow it all again if it meant I would end up here, able to celebrate every one of your triumphs, and be by your side during your failures.”</p><p>Gaara felt like his heart was doing acrobatics in his chest.</p><p>“I tried writing normal vows, and even considered the wonderful vows that Gai-sensei suggested. But I realise now that they’re not the ones I wanted to make. So here goes… I want you to know, most of all, Gaara… That I will never, ever leave you alone,” he said firmly, his eyes soft and looking deep into Gaara’s own. “You will never have to worry about that again, as long as I am here. I promise to always be here for you, my most important person, until I die. I promise to support you and protect you, throughout every hardship and every success. Even when I can’t be here with you physically, know that you are still not alone, for my love for you will never die. I will always be with you, because I am yours.”</p><p>The temple suddenly seemed extremely quiet, and Gaara felt himself swallow a lump in his throat. His eyes were wet, which was a surprise even to him; he’d heard Lee declare his love for him before, in myriad, often overzealous ways, but this was different. It was no less heartfelt, but having it said here, for all their loved ones and the foreign dignitaries in attendance to hear, was different. In that moment, it felt like the world was melting away around them and only the two of them mattered.</p><p>Gaara reached out for him, and Lee, his eyes wet once again, slid their fingers together and smiled.</p><p>The priest continued with the ceremony. A few minutes later they were exchanging rings. Gaara felt the cool metal of the gold band slide onto his ring finger with something like wonder; he rarely wore any kind of jewellery, but this felt undeniably right. He took his own ring from Kankuro, who was sitting just behind him, and wriggled it onto Lee’s crooked ring finger. It was a bit trickier than it had been to get Gaara’s on; Lee had broken his fingers too many times to count and now they bent at funny angles. But after a few moments, it slid down to his first knuckle, where it belonged.</p><p>As soon as they finished the exchanging of rings, the priest declared them married, and Lee was pulling Gaara close by the back of his neck and kissing him passionately. Gaara melted into it, closing his eyes, and held Lee’s face tightly, his eyes wet with tears. Gaara poured every single ounce of trust, every desperate yearning, every fear, every flutter, every pull of lust, every wave of love he’d ever felt for this man, into their kiss. Lee kissed back just as fervently, his cheeks red and his fingers shaking against Gaara’s head as panted and held onto him for dear life.</p><p>Around them, their friends cheered them on, Gai wailed through tears of joy and pride, and the other guests gave a dignified applause, but to Gaara and Lee, it was all just background noise.</p><p>Now it was only them, the pair of them like two hemispheres of the planet, inseparable and interwoven.</p><p>*</p><p>The greenhouse was as beautiful as Gaara remembered it, but seeing it decorated with garlands, flowers and the other decorations Temari had suggested, not to mention populated by their loved ones, made it all the more magnificent.</p><p>The banquet had been met with some rumblings of discontent considering the… unique menu, but as expected, their guests had eaten it out of obligation (and probably some fear) regardless. Lee and Gai asked for seconds and thirds of the curry, and Gaara had to repeatedly redirect congratulatory gifts of wine and other alcoholic drinks sent their way. It was tricky to not seem rude, but given that Gaara was teetotal and Lee couldn’t drink lest he turn into a raging, drunken bull again, it had to be done. Besides, their friends were more than happy to accept said drinks, and were well on their way to getting plastered.</p><p>Later, things became considerably louder. By six p.m., many of the dignitaries who’d attended out of diplomatic obligation were getting ready to leave, as expected, leaving mostly their friends, relatives, and officials that were rather more lax about diplomacy, behind. This meant that they were able to let loose more, and the festivities became much livelier.</p><p>The music being played by the band of traditional musicians gradually turned from a gentle, lilting background melody to a more energetic tune. It was good until Killer Bee started rapping along with it (badly) and hectoring the performers for more of a ‘beat he could jam with, yo’. Nonetheless, the music was a pleasant addition to their increasingly rowdy antics.</p><p>At present, the Mizukage was complimenting him on how extravagant the whole day was and how it showed off Suna’s wealth like nothing else. Gaara was trying not to meet her eyes though, as in her inebriated state, her kimono—already far more revealing than appropriate—was sliding further and further over her breasts. She didn’t seem to notice it, which made it even worse, so Gaara resigned himself to staring at the far wall while his cheeks burned.</p><p>As he did though, he was mildly surprised to notice that Gai and Lee were doing pull-ups on the edge of the balcony in a ‘test of courage’, or something to that effect. (How Gai got up the spiral staircase in his wheelchair was not a question Gaara felt he needed the answer to.)</p><p>“Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen,” Gai grunted, his still-bandaged leg hanging alongside his other one just above the canopy of trees.</p><p>Beside him, Lee was grunting, and seemed to be struggling to keep up with his teacher. He had a look of consternation on his face that Gaara only saw when he was having difficulty with a new kata or trying too hard to get over an injury.</p><p>Gaara smiled softly. He glanced beside him to where Kakashi was watching them with a look of resignation and faint concern, but he did nothing to stop them either.</p><p>“Does Gai-sensei ever stop training?” Gaara asked, still looking on and breaking away from his conversation with Mizukage-sama, who was half-slumped over her wine glass.</p><p>“I don’t think he knows how to stop,” Kakashi chuckled.</p><p>“Does he… Is he ever… Discouraged… by his injury?” Gaara asked carefully. He’d spoken with Lee about it a few times, but he suspected that Gai had watered down his reaction somewhat to spare Lee any further heartache. Kakashi was close to Gai as well, but he had fought alongside him and grown up with him in the academy, so Gaara knew that their relationship was more one of equals, and that probably meant that Kakashi saw more than Lee did of his teacher’s emotional state after the war.</p><p>After a moment’s hesitation, Kakashi answered. “I don’t think he knows how to do that either,” he said, smiling placidly.</p><p>Gaara stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. “I see.” He shouldn’t have expected anything more than that, really.</p><p>Kakashi looked like he was about to say something else, but then, over his shoulder, Gaara caught sight of small kerfuffle that ended with Sakura clocking Killer Bee and Naruto over their heads, and he furrowed his brow.</p><p>It transpired that Shikamaru, who was trying and failing to abstain from drinking that night to be Kakashi’s first bodyguard, had made some kind of wager that Naruto could beat Killer Bee in a rap contest. Kiba, who was moderately drunk, had taken him up on this bet. They’d riled up their respective pawns to the point that they wound up having a minor scuffle, and Sakura was keen to put an end to it before it turned into a diplomatic incident.</p><p>Gaara didn’t really know how that happened, but he didn’t especially care to find out. He turned his attention back to Lee, who was slowing down a bit now, and admired his ass from afar while his friends and family enjoyed themselves.</p><p>He didn’t return for a little while, so Gaara assumed he and Gai were busy catching up and let them have their fun. After all, Lee missed his teacher dearly; his daily contests with Gai had been one of the hardest things for him to let go of when he left Konoha. Besides, they were leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow, and it would probably be a while until student and teacher could see each other again.</p><p>It was disappointing not to be able to appreciate the view anymore, though.</p><p>Gaara stood up and continued doing his rounds; he had a few more people he’d have to speak to before the evening was over. Kazekage duties were even unavoidable on one’s wedding day, it seemed.</p><p>In the years to come, Gaara would have trouble remembering the events that followed. This would be because somehow, he ended up at one end of the huge banqueting table with Naruto, Shikamaru and Killer Bee, drinking from a small glass of Lightning Country’s famed whiskey.</p><p>The burn in his throat was unpleasant, and Gaara coughed harshly as his eyes watered. Did people really like this stuff?</p><p>Beside him, Naruto laughed his ass off. </p><p>Still coughing, Gaara wiped at his eyes, which were watering from the harsh burn. “That’s—that’s awful—” he coughed.</p><p>Killer Bee rapped something in response, to which Naruto only laughed harder. Next to him, Sakura rolled her eyes and fiddled with her bracelet. Tenten was chatting to Neji, who seemed rather tense, though Gaara couldn’t say why. Lee would probably tell him about it later – he’d already challenged Neji to a ‘friendly match’ a few times already, never mind that they were both dressed in formal clothing and in a building made of glass.</p><p>“Come on, try this instead,” Naruto said, pouring some clear liquid from a different bottle into a clean glass. “It’s from Wave Country, Shikamaru said it was good.”</p><p>It was distinctly <em>not</em> good.</p><p>Gaara felt like his throat was going to disintegrate if he had any more of this stuff. Naruto had encouraged him on the grounds that he should at least have one drink on his wedding day. Gaara would’ve preferred to leave it the hell alone, but he was soon being cheered and teased into drinking more, and drunken shinobi were surprisingly persistent.</p><p>Temari would probably have something to say about his tendency to follow Naruto’s advice on everything, as she had before, but she wasn’t here at present. She was looking for Kankuro according to Shikamaru, but he’d disappeared somewhere. It seemed that Kiba was also missing, but nobody had put two and two together yet. Gaara shook his head faintly as he tried to stop the room from spinning. His brother didn’t think anyone knew about his tendency to disregard gender when it came to seeking sexual partners, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him live under that delusion for a little longer.</p><p>Besides, he’d seen the looks that Inuzuka had been giving his brother, and he was more than familiar with that look.</p><p>Speaking of…</p><p>Lee finally returned after apparently doing “only” two hundred and seventeen one-armed push ups. Gai had managed two hundred and thirty.</p><p>Gaara wrapped an arm around his moping husband, and kissed him on the temple. “Never mind,” he said softly. “You have plenty of time to make up for it.”</p><p>Lee smiled at him and pulled him closer, burying his nose in his hair to kiss the crown of his head warmly. “Sorry I spent so much time with Gai-sensei. I shouldn’t—it’s our reception and I just thought you might want me out of the way while you did all your official stuff—”</p><p>“Lee, it’s fine,” Gaara replied. “Besides, you have plenty of time to make up for that, too.” He stroked the side of Lee’s handsome face as he said this, and let his hand travel down his neck flirtatiously.</p><p>Smiling slowly, Lee’s eyes became a little bit darker. His cheeks reddened at the suggestion, and he shuffled a bit on his chair. He leaned forward to whisper into Gaara’s ear.</p><p>“I can’t wait to spend the next week in bed with you,” he whispered, and nipped the shell of his ear gently.</p><p>Gaara shivered at the sudden closeness. Lee’s deep voice and the feel of his breath on his neck seemed to go straight to his cock. He felt a shiver travel down his spine and he bit back a groan.</p><p>“Yes… We’ll certainly… have plenty of time on our hands…” Gaara said, his imagination running wild with the long list of scenarios he had planned for their honeymoon. He was not taking any paperwork with him, and he planned on making the most of a week without any commitments.</p><p>Lee smiled and stroked the side of Gaara’s face with his thumb tenderly, then reached for his chin and tilted it up to kiss him.</p><p>It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but it still prompted a chorus of woops and jeers from their increasingly inebriated friends. Lee blushed and frowned at them, while Gaara only blinked owlishly, not really understanding this reaction.</p><p>Before long though, the reception seemed to fade to background noise once again. Lee was looking at him like he felt the same way. Gaara very suddenly felt like he’d celebrated their wedding enough, and began thinking of an exit strategy.</p><p>However, he knew Lee also wanted to celebrate with his friends for as long as possible too, so he wasn’t about to pull him away. Besides, Gaara didn’t often get to socialise like this, and for the first time in a long while, he felt his age. It was hard to feel like a twenty-something when you were surrounded by Council members who were all old enough to be his parents or grandparents, and often treated him like they were.</p><p>So they stayed, laughing and talking, until everyone was so plastered they began dancing along to Killer Bee’s raps.</p><p>…Yes, that was <em>definitely</em> the point of no return.</p><p>Gaara stood up and walked over to his sister, who was laughing at Shikamaru dancing like a fool with Naruto and a number of their other friends. She glanced up at him and grinned. From the looks of it, she wasn’t far off her husband in her drunkenness.</p><p>“You heading off?” she asked, her eyes soft as she regarded her little brother.</p><p>“Yes. I thought I should tell someone we—”</p><p>Temari waved him off. “It’s your wedding. Do what you want. You should’ve left hours ago! Go,” she said with a vague waving motion with her hand. “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she added, pointing at him sternly.</p><p>Gaara briefly wondered how he was supposed to know what that meant, but he didn’t think too far into it. He scratched his cheek and watched his sister try to get up without swaying too far forward. He didn’t expect her to half-fall into the hug she gave him, and he jumped a bit as he caught her.</p><p>“Ah, I didn’t think I’d ever see this day,” she sighed. “My baby brother all shacked up. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect it to be with a man, let alone Rock Lee, but – in a weird way it kind of feels like it was meant to be, you know? I mean—oh, ignore me. I’m drunk. Just… I’m really proud of you, Gaara,” she finished finally, leaning back a bit to look him in the face. “I mean it. You’ve done so well.”</p><p>Drunk or not, it was heartfelt, and Gaara accepted it as such. He smiled softly at his sister and patted her on the back. She released him after patting his face one more time, and sat down again.</p><p>Gaara left her to her own devices, trusting that his brother-in-law would be able to take care of her regardless of how drunk he was. For a man who didn’t drink very often, Shikamaru could really hold his alcohol when it came down to it. He was certainly better at it than Gaara, who was still having trouble walking in a straight line from the drinks Naruto had given him.</p><p>He was near the top table when he saw his husband, who was apparently refereeing an arm wrestling match between Killer Bee and the Raikage. He was cheering them on enthusiastically with Gai. It was over before long though, and Gaara half-stumbled over to Lee just as he was congratulating the Raikage.</p><p>Lee blinked owlishly as he felt Gaara lean against him, and then grinned. He held onto Gaara’s hand tightly.</p><p>“You ready to go?” he asked softly.</p><p>Gaara nodded, and then leaned up to his husband’s ear. “I want you,” he purred, his voice slightly rougher from the burn of the alcohol.</p><p>He felt Lee’s ear twitch in response. He was about to trail his tongue against his husband’s earlobe in a sort of revenge for his little trick earlier, but Lee pulled away with a cough.</p><p>“Um, we’re going to head off now,” he said to Gai, who was engaged in a deep conversation about upper arm strength with the Raikage now. Killer Bee had wondered off somewhere. “It’s been a long day!”</p><p>Gai looked up at him and gave him a winning grin. “I see. Lee, remember what I told you!” he said firmly.</p><p>Lee immediately saluted his teacher. “Yes, Gai-sensei!”</p><p>Gaara briefly wondered what Gai had said to Lee, but he didn’t get a chance to ask as student and teacher were now engaging in a passionate exchange of advice and “Yes Gai-sensei!”s. Gaara almost rolled his eyes, but instead he settled for reaching behind his husband and grabbing a handful of his ass.</p><p>“Ah—!” Lee gasped. “Um, Gai-sensei, I hope we get to see you tomorrow before we leave!”</p><p>Gai nodded in response, and after a tearful hug, the two finally parted.</p><p>Gaara felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t get his husband naked. He’d held his lust back for what felt like days, even though it was only a few hours in reality. They’d barely left the greenhouse when he pushed his husband up against the sandstone wall of the next building and kissed him savagely.</p><p>Lee moaned into it helplessly, tilting his head to the side and sliding his tongue along Gaara’s slickly. “Mmh…”</p><p>Gaara pushed his knee between Lee’s thighs and rubbed. The many layers of fabric made getting any kind of friction difficult, but Lee didn’t seem to mind. He rubbed himself off a bit and pawed at Gaara’s ass, stroking and kneading the supple flesh hungrily.</p><p>“Mm… Gaara… We need to… Get back…” he said between kisses, his eyes closed and his cheeks pink.</p><p>Gaara growled in something like irritation and nipped Lee’s neck in response. He pulled away only to grab his giggling husband away from the wall and all but dragged him down the sandy streets to their home.</p><p>Once there, it seemed that they really couldn’t get undressed fast enough. Gaara pulled at Lee’s robes fiercely as he kissed him up against the front door, while Lee was tugging at the various ties around his middle. He felt his haori himo come undone swiftly and then nimble fingers were pulling at the obi. Gaara felt it loosen gradually, but he was too busy working a love bite into his husband’s neck and pulling at the fold of fabric over his chest to notice the shedding of his clothes.</p><p>Finally, Gaara was able to undo Lee’s obi and the various other ties around his waist, and soon they were dressed only in their under robes. Gaara moaned as their kiss was broken, and he was about to drag Lee to their bedroom when he felt hands groping at the back of his thighs. Then he was being lifted, and Gaara let out a gasp as his feet left the ground. He held onto his husband tightly and shivered as Lee began to nibble at his ear and carry him to the bedroom.</p><p>Once there, Gaara was pushed up against the door and kissed deeply. He moaned into it, burying his fingers in dark, silky locks of hair. His cock was throbbing now, pushed up against his belly with desire, and from the way Lee was rutting against him slightly, his husband was not much better.</p><p>At some point, Gaara lost the belt of his robe and he felt the front of it fall open. He shivered a bit at the change of temperature, but Lee’s body was warm and pressed against him fully, so it wasn’t too bad.</p><p>Lee turned his attentions to Gaara’s jaw, ear, and then his neck, all while rutting against him hungrily and rubbing his thumb over one of Gaara’s hardened nipples. Gaara squeezed his eyes shut and panted helplessly, his body shaking with tension and lust, his cock throbbing and twitching against his belly.</p><p>“Lee—” Gaara gasped as he felt a lightning charge of pleasure shoot up his spine from where Lee was rutting against his crotch.</p><p>“Mm—okay, okay,” he whispered, and gripped his thighs a bit more firmly so he could lift him once more.</p><p>A few steps later and Gaara was deposited onto the bed carefully. He shrugged out of his robe as he was carried, but then clung to Lee’s shoulders as he kissed him fiercely. Lee stood up straight, leaving him feeling bereft. Gaara growled in agitation.</p><p>“Patience, husband,” Lee chided with a grin, and made quick work of getting out of the rest of his clothes. Soon he was standing at the foot of the bed, his muscular body slightly sweaty, gloriously naked, and his cock achingly hard and heavy between his legs.</p><p>Gaara licked his lips hungrily as he watched him, but he snapped out of it when Lee climbed onto the bed, his face coming close to his again, and kissed him once more. He moaned and sucked on Lee’s tongue hungrily, inhaling the scent of him. His eyes fluttered shut, but he felt like they were going to roll back into his head from pleasure.</p><p>Lee was lying on top of him fully now and Gaara wrapped his legs around his as he had against the door. He felt his husband’s body shudder from the proximity and he began to rut against him powerfully.</p><p>“Ohh… Gaara…” Lee moaned, his voice breathless and his face pink. Their cocks were sliding together beautifully. The friction against Gaara’s erection was sending sparks of pleasure all through his body, clustering at the nape of his neck and radiating down to the tips of his toes.</p><p>Glancing up, Gaara let out a whimper of need and splayed his hands across Lee’s chest. A few moments more of this, and he would cum before they’d even got the lube out. Biting his lip, he used his position to roll them over, and soon he was straddling his husband’s waist, his cock against his chest.</p><p>With a smirk, Gaara shuffled forward, biting his lip. Lee chuckled and shifted a bit so Gaara’s cock could slide between his pecs.</p><p>It settled there like a jigsaw piece, and Lee blushed as Gaara began to rub himself between his pectoral muscles hungrily. The dip and bulge of his chest created enough of a valley for Gaara to get a good amount of friction against his hard-on, and Lee reached up, licking his lips, to rub at the head lightly. His own nipples were hard and Gaara was toying with them mercilessly. He was enjoying this far too much, made evident by the desperation in his movements and the way he let out helpless whimpers of pleasure.</p><p>After a few moments of this, Lee felt a drop of precum against his fingers and he brought it to his lips. Gaara watched him heatedly and felt his cock twitch in response to the sight.</p><p>Lee glanced up at him, his eyes as black as coals and his face red. “Turn around,” he breathed. “On me.”</p><p>Gaara looked at him questioningly for a moment and then felt heat flow through him like lava when he realised his husband’s meaning. He turned so that he was face to face with Lee’s cock and spread his own thighs over his husband’s head.</p><p>He didn’t wait for Lee to tell him what he wanted; Gaara was too eager for that. He held Lee’s cock at the base and began to lick at the tip, which was beading with precum. He moaned and began to swirl his tongue around it, his eyelids fluttering with pleasure from the taste.</p><p>The feeling of a tongue at his entrance took him by surprise.</p><p>Pulling away momentarily, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes dark and brow furrowed, as he watched his husband lave his tongue over his hole. Gaara shuddered and felt his stomach tie itself into a knot.</p><p>“L-lee!” he gasped.</p><p>Lee glanced up at him briefly and then did something with his tongue that made Gaara shake and whimper, then collapse against him and moan loudly.</p><p>For a few minutes, Gaara was helpless to the sensation. His cock was still throbbing heavily as it bobbed between his legs, but right now his consciousness was focused on his hole, where Lee was moaning and panting through his nose as he ate him out.</p><p>The pleasure only intensified, and he was letting out a series of high pitched, whimpering moans, when he felt Lee’s cock twitch against his cheek. He quickly snapped out of the pleasure-induced trance he was in and grabbed his husband’s cock firmly. He leaned forward and began to suck him fervently, as though he was making up for his lapse in focus. He rubbed the tip of his tongue over the sensitive fraenulum, traced the crease of his foreskin with his fingertips, and suckled the head lightly in the way he knew his husband loved.</p><p>It caused Lee’s attention to his hole to lose just a bit of its finesse, as Lee was now trying not to moan and gasp his pleasure through the enthusiastic blowjob Gaara was giving him.</p><p>Gaara paused in his attentions only to trail his tongue lower, over his husband’s balls and perineum. He moaned as he tasted every part of his body, and then, carefully, he began to rub his fingertips over his entrance. Lee jerked a bit in response to this – Gaara knew from experience how sensitive his husband’s ass was, and he planned on using it to his advantage.</p><p>He had to shuffle forward a bit to reach thanks to their height difference, but he was able to spread Lee’s thighs apart and angle his mouth just enough to press the tip of his tongue against his husband’s entrance. Gaara groaned in his throat, but Lee’s tongue abandoned its ministrations briefly for him to gasp and let out a rattling moan.</p><p>Gaara almost smirked, but he was too focused on his new task. He began to circle the tip of his tongue around Lee’s hole slowly, and when he felt Lee lift his hips up slightly to give him better access, he took his enthusiasm up a notch. He prodded and poked at his lover’s hole until he felt something give, and then he began to mirror Lee’s movements with his own.</p><p>Lee writhed below him, but he managed to keep going through the stimulation. He was shaking below him and letting out tiny sobs of pleasure. Gaara lost track of the sounds he was making, but his throat felt raw.</p><p>After just a few minutes however, Gaara pulled away. He could feel his orgasm building and he didn’t want to cum yet, so with a herculean show of strength, he pulled his mouth away from Lee’s perfectly firm ass. “S-stop,” he grunted. “I’m going to—”</p><p>Lee pulled away with a gasp and reached up to wipe the excess saliva from his chin. “Okay,” he breathed, and shifted so Gaara could straighten himself up. He turned and straddled Lee, putting their cocks in close proximity. He resisted the urge to rut against him again; that would be dangerous right now. He didn’t want to cum without being inside his husband, or having his husband inside him.</p><p>“Lube?” Gaara mumbled against Lee’s lips.</p><p>He heard a fumbling beside him and glanced up to see Lee retrieve the near-empty bottle of lubricant from the drawer in the bedside table.</p><p>“Hey, this is nearly empty,” Lee commented, holding it up above them as he turned it over in his hand.</p><p>“There’s another one in the bathroom,” Gaara replied, mouthing along Lee’s neck hungrily. “<em>Lee</em>.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>Lee rolled them over so he was straddling him now, which was unexpected, and reached behind him. He began to stretch himself open with deft fingers, furrowing his brow in concentration. Gaara reached up to stroke his shoulder and chest, humming in pleasure at the sight.</p><p>It didn’t take too long considering their earlier activities, and after just a few minutes of preparation, Lee was slicking Gaara’s cock up and positioning himself just over the head.</p><p>Gaara let out a gasp as he felt the head of his over-sensitised cock prod at his husband’s entrance. He looked down between them in the dim bedroom light, and then up at Lee’s face. Lee’s eyes were closed and he was biting his lip, while the light from the lamp accentuated every dip and bulge of his incredible muscles. Gaara moaned and trailed his hands up muscular, scarred thighs, strong, jutting hip bones and rippling abdominal muscle.</p><p>Once they were lined up, Lee let out a rather fetching moan and slid down Gaara’s shaft. He threw his head back and groaned loudly, exposing his muscular neck and Adam’s Apple.</p><p>“Lee—!”</p><p>Gaara gave a throaty, rattling moan and shook below him, his head propped up on a pillow. His body felt tense and pressurised, like a bubble about to burst, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. Lee was whining and grinding against him, not needing to adjust at all it seemed, his movements becoming less and less controlled.</p><p>If he noticed his affect on Gaara, he gave no signal of it. Gaara could feel every twinge and flutter of muscle inside his husband, and his cock felt like it was being sucked deeper into him every time moved. Between their bodies, Lee’s cock was leaking and smearing precum over Gaara’s belly, which was probably intentional. Gaara’s muscles were not on the same level as Lee’s, but he had a healthy amount of lean muscle that he knew his husband enjoyed.</p><p>“Gaara—!” Lee moaned breathlessly, licking his full lips in a way that caught Gaara’s eye. He was riding Gaara enthusiastically now, his ass slapping against his narrow hips rhythmically.</p><p>Gaara gripped Lee’s ass and bucked his hips as he felt him tighten around him like a vice. He moaned helplessly, the pleasure coursing through him like electricity. His thigh muscles were quivering, possibly from the force of Lee’s passionate movements, but most likely from pleasure.</p><p>It built up far more quickly than Gaara expected it to. Lee was riding him hard enough that he was breaking a sweat, which only highlighted the ripple and curve of every muscle. He was trailing his hands down Gaara’s chest and his hair was swaying in time with his movements. His eyes rolled back every now and then, disappearing behind thick, fluttering eyelashes as he lost himself to the pleasure, moaning erotically.</p><p>Gaara jerked his head forward as his orgasm hit him like a whip. He cried out, feeling himself pulse deep inside, his balls tightening up against his body as he shook and tensed again and again. The pleasure was searing hot and hit him powerfully, radiating to every part of his body; for a moment, Gaara felt like his vision went white. Maybe it did.</p><p>He rode it out, his hips bucking helplessly as he emptied himself inside of his husband.</p><p>Finally, he slumped back against the bed, panting hoarsely and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Lee was looking down at him with a dark look in his eyes. He was red from his cheeks down to his belly, but he seemed more caught up in Gaara’s orgasm than his own pleasure. He’d stopped slamming his hips up and down for a few moments while Gaara rode out his climax, but he didn’t look like he was anywhere near finished yet.</p><p>Gaara felt Lee’s lips on his next. They kissed lazily, erotically, and Lee moaned into it as he held Gaara’s head in his hands.</p><p>“Your turn,” Gaara whispered as he pulled away, his eyes half lidded.</p><p>Lee gave him a questioning look.</p><p>“I want you to cum inside me,” Gaara murmured, stroking his husband’s face tenderly.</p><p>Lee let out a shaky breath, and kissed him again. Gaara could feel that his husband was still achingly hard and probably close to the brink himself.</p><p>It seemed like no time at all before Lee was sliding slick fingers into his entrance. Gaara hummed, feeling like he was on a cloud, unable and unwilling to make his muscles resist anything. He moaned and spread his legs wider, which seemed to turn his lover on; he heard him gasp and increase his movements. Three fingers were sliding inside him now, curving upward just enough to graze over his sweet spot. Gaara shuddered, feeling his cock twitch impossibly at the sensation.</p><p>It seemed that Lee couldn’t wait any longer, because soon Gaara felt fingers replaced with the slick, swollen head of his cock. He breached him slowly, and Gaara moaned long and low in response.</p><p>Lee’s cock wasn’t much bigger than his, but Gaara figured it didn’t really matter much when it was going in your ass. He felt stretched, but not painfully so; it was more like a dull pressure. He was more focused on the way he could feel every twitch of Lee’s cock inside him and the feeling of his balls pressing flush against his ass when he bottomed out.</p><p>“Gaara…” Lee moaned, his breathing heavy, but slower now.</p><p>He began to move slowly, letting Gaara adjust, he assumed. But Gaara wanted more, and he slowly lifted his legs up to wrap them around Lee’s waist. It made it easier to push him inward sometimes, but—</p><p>Lee gripped his thighs suddenly, forcing Gaara to unravel them from his waist. He pushed them back so Gaara’s feet were in the air, either side of Lee’s head. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” he said, furrowing his brow.</p><p>It was difficult to be sneaky during sex when your husband was a taijutsu master, but he didn’t often complain when Gaara tried to make him go faster. On the contrary, he was usually all too happy to oblige.</p><p>“You can go faster. I know you want to cum,” Gaara said softly. He wasn’t affected by the position; several years of having sex with Rock Lee had forced Gaara to improve his flexibility considerably.</p><p>Lee only shook his head, furrowing his brow. “Not yet,” he growled, and stroked his hands down the backs of Gaara’s thighs. His body was rigid and the expression on his face was the same as when he was trying a little too hard to meditate.</p><p>Gaara looked at him strangely for a few moments, but didn’t comment on it. He knew when Lee got his mind set on something there was no arguing with him, so Gaara resigned himself to whatever his husband had in mind.</p><p>After a few moments of slow, gradual thrusting, Lee finally began to pick up the pace. Gaara sighed as waves of tired pleasure flowed through his body, and when he opened his eyes fully he felt a strong pull of arousal at the sight. Lee’s face was a picture of bliss; he was red and his eyes were tightly shut, while his hands gripped Gaara’s thighs tightly and pushed his knees back.</p><p>“Lee,” Gaara sighed, stroking his hand down his lover’s face. He hooked his arms around his neck and drew him closer, basically folding his body in half so they could kiss.</p><p>The motion pushed Lee’s cock deeper into him, and they both broke apart from the kiss to moan breathlessly.</p><p>“Lee—!” Gaara gasped, and arched his back as he felt his husband’s cock graze across his prostate again.</p><p>“Gaara…” Lee moaned in response, and began grinding his hips against his ass more forcefully.</p><p>Gaara glanced down between their bodies to where his cock was trapped. As he suspected, he was hard again, which wasn’t unheard of, but was still somewhat unusual for him. Lee was the one with all the stamina between them.</p><p>It suddenly made sense why Lee was going slow a minute ago; he was staving off his own orgasm so that Gaara could have another one. Gaara felt something flutter inside him and he reached up to cling to his lover tightly.</p><p>“Fuck me,” he begged, spreading his legs wide and pulling Lee closer. He could feel tears at the corners of his eyes, but he paid it no mind.</p><p>Lee shuddered and whined helplessly in response, then began to thrust harder. His hips soon began to slap against Gaara’s ass, the movement exaggerated from the sweat they’d both built up from the exertion. He kept his face close to Gaara’s as he thrust into him, stealing kisses every now and then and resting his forehead against his.</p><p>“Lee…” Gaara growled hotly, shaking as he held onto him by the neck. He knew his husband was close, and the sparks of pleasure he was sending up Gaara’s spine with his powerful thrusts were intense. But Gaara felt like Lee’s pleasure was much more important in that moment. He wanted… he wanted what he’d had earlier, when Lee had ridden him hard enough for the bed to knock against the wall; that look of faraway, delirious pleasure that in turn made Gaara feel like he was on another planet.</p><p>He clenched his muscles hard around Lee’s cock and began to buck his hips up to meet his. He moaned, feeling his orgasm floating around the periphery of his consciousness, but ignoring it in favour of focusing on Lee.</p><p>“Fuck me,” he growled into the small space between their lips, his eyes focused on the way Lee licked his lips and panted.</p><p>Lee moaned in response, his brows furrowing as he sped up once again.</p><p>Undeterred, Gaara continued. “You feel… amazing,” he panted. “I can feel you so deep inside…”</p><p>Lee whimpered and his hips stuttered, but he didn’t slow down.</p><p>“Come on,” Gaara panted through clenched teeth. Lee was hitting his sweet spot continuously now, and as incredible as it felt, he didn’t want to cum first again.</p><p>“Gaara—” Lee gasped, and Gaara felt his hips stutter again. He kept going regardless, spreading his legs on the mattress to keep his traction. But Gaara knew his lover was close. He wasn’t slowing down, but his thrusts were getting uneven.</p><p>Gaara cried out as he felt Lee hit his prostate hard enough that it felt like his body was lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Lee!” he cried, his thighs quivering in his husband’s strong hands.</p><p>Gaara briefly registered Lee’s eyes widening before he gasped. “Gaara, I’m—!” he whined, before his thrusts became frenetic for a few ecstatic moments.</p><p>The sensation of Lee ejaculating inside of him was a pleasure so distinct from all others that Gaara had to wonder why. Maybe it was the way he would throw his head back, or the way he bared his teeth and moaned/shouted his name, Gaara didn’t know. All he knew was that it satisfied something deeply animal and raw inside him to feel his husband’s cock twitch, pulse and release inside him.</p><p>When he was done, Lee let out a helpless, exhausted moan. What Gaara didn’t expect was for him to keep thrusting despite what must be his very over-sensitised cock. He kept going for a few more moments until Gaara felt like he would burst if he felt Lee’s cock brush against that sensitive bundle of nerves one more time.</p><p>This climax was not as strong or as sudden, but it was deeper, and radiated from the point at the base of his spine where Lee’s cock was pounding into him. Gaara shook and moaned and shuddered through it, a garbled attempt at Lee’s name on his tongue.</p><p>Afterwards, they could only lie there, breathing like they’d just run a marathon. Gaara moaned as Lee pulled away after a few moments. He eased out of him with a slick noise and leaned back so Gaara could relax his legs, then collapsed beside him on the bed.</p><p>“That was…” Lee began, but he trailed off, apparently too tired to even finish his own sentence.</p><p>Gaara only hummed in response. He was possibly even more tired, which was ridiculous, as he’d mostly just laid there and let Lee have his way with him.</p><p>They didn’t say anything for a few long minutes, apparently too content to do anything more than just centre themselves. Gaara couldn’t speak for Lee, but he knew he needed it. Sex with Lee was always overwhelming, and sometimes it took him a while to be able to say anything.</p><p>Predictably, Lee was the one to break the silence. “I knew Kakashi-sensei was wrong,” he chuckled.</p><p>Gaara furrowed his brow. “What?”</p><p>Lee laughed again and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his dark locks fanned about his head on the pillow. “Kakashi-sensei said that marriage is a romance killer… that our sex life would be the first thing to go,” Lee explained.</p><p>Gaara frowned. “Why did he say that?”</p><p>Lee made a vague waving motion with his hand, a very Temari-like gesture that he had picked up. “I think he was trying to rile me up… Or maybe annoy Gai-sensei,” he replied. “Kakashi-sensei has never been married, so he wouldn’t know anyway. Besides, I didn’t take him seriously. I knew he was just messing with me.”</p><p>Kakashi definitely had a weird sense of humour. Then again, all of the Kages were pretty weird in Gaara’s estimation, and they likely thought the same of him.</p><p>“I asked him to keep an eye on Neji for me…” he explained, sounding a bit concerned. “Gai-sensei is doing the same thing. He wouldn’t talk about it with me, but Tenten said that his family have been pressuring him to marry his cousin Hanabi.”</p><p>Gaara scratched his fingernails through the patch of dark hair on Lee’s belly. The way the light caught his wedding ring made him lift his fingers to admire it fondly. “There are families in Suna that used to do that. I banned it some time ago; it was causing a lot more misery than it was really worth. The Bloodline Limits haven’t suffered, as I thought they wouldn’t. It’s just about the clan elders trying to enforce control.”</p><p>Lee nodded, threading his fingers through Gaara’s hair so he could scratch at his scalp soothingly. “I hope he’ll be alright. I’ll try to write to him more often.”</p><p>“Hm,” Gaara hummed. He turned onto his side and pressed his cheek to his husband’s chest so he could smell him more. He still smelled vaguely of aftershave, but he smelled muskier now that he’d worked up a sweat. Gaara shivered. He had that strange temptation again… He’d yet to bring it up with Lee, but his scent… did things to him. He wanted more of it.</p><p>Lee yawned, loudly as he always did, and lifted his arms to stretch them above his head. Gaara burrowed his face into his husband’s underarm and inhaled. He shuddered, and then burrowed himself deeper into Lee’s embrace.</p><p>“Hnn….” Gaara groaned softly. “You smell good…”</p><p>Laughing, Lee wrapped his arms around him tightly. “Are you kidding? I need a shower,” he replied, and shuffled awkwardly.</p><p>“You have all week to do that. I want to enjoy it while it lasts.”</p><p>“…What, my smell?”</p><p>“Mhm,” Gaara nodded, and buried his face in Lee’s neck. He inhaled again and shivered.</p><p>Lee laughed and wrapped his arms around him tighter. “You’re so weird. I love you,” he chuckled, and smoothed Gaara’s red locks back with a tender smile.</p><p>Gaara propped himself up and looked at him deeply for a few moments. “I love you too,” he muttered.</p><p>Lee leaned up and pressed their lips together softly. Gaara moaned into it, his eyes falling shut.</p><p>The journey to the coast would be two days’ travel, but Gaara knew it would be worth it… A week with no work and his own personal heaven: a lavish hotel room by the coast with Rock Lee in his bed.</p><p>It would be the perfect start to the rest of their lives.</p><p>END</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>